Teachers’ opinion about grading in primary school

Prema podatcima Ministarstva znanosti i obrazovanja, na kraju školske godine 2021./2022. čak 58,59 % osnovnoškolskih učenika završilo je razred s odličnim uspjehom, a njih 24,27 % s prosjekom 5,0. S obzirom na to da je ocjena pet (5) najviša ocjena u hrvatskim školama, je li opravdano zaključiti kako su nove generacije puno uspješnije i pametnije od prošlih? Ili je inflacija odlikaša posljedica neučinkovitog ocjenjivanja znanja učenika te različitih pritisaka koje doživljavaju učitelji tijekom rada? Istraživanje je provedeno anketiranjem 558 učitelja osnovne škole u Republici Hrvatskoj. Anketni upitnik sastojao se od 22 tvrdnje kojima se ispitalo kako učitelji opažaju promjene u ocjenjivanju, ozračju, doživljenim pritiscima te vlastitoj edukaciji o ocjenjivanju. Rezultati pokazuju da učitelji opažaju promjene u načinu i kriterijima ocjenjivanja, smatraju da današnji učenici uz malo truda mogu postići odlične ocjene te općenito osjećaju pritiske okoline zbog ocjenjivanja. Većina ispitivanih učitelja smatra da će u slučaju žalbe roditelja učenika zbog slabije ocjene, nadležne institucije stati na stranu roditelja. Isto tako, smatraju da učitelji koji ocjenjuju uglavnom visokim ocjenama imaju manje problema na poslu. Rezultati su pokazali nisku razinu zadovoljstva učitelja provedenim edukacijama o ocjenjivanju. Nisu utvrđene statistički značajne razlike među učiteljima s obzirom na radno mjesto i radno iskustvo. Većina ispitivanih učitelja smatra da bi uvođenje vanjskog vrednovanja doprinijelo objektivnijem ocjenjivanju znanja i vještina učenika.According to the information from the Ministry of Science and Education, as many as 58.59% of primary school students have finished the 2021-2022 school year with an excellent (A) grade point average, while 24.27% of them achieved a 5.0 grade point average. Considering the fact that A (excellent) is the highest grade in Croatian schools, is it justified to conclude that new generations are much more successful and smarter than the previous ones, or is the inflation of A students a consequence of the inefficient grading system and various pressures teachers are under in the course of their work? This research was carried out via a questionnaire among 558 primary school teachers from the Republic of Croatia. The questionnaire comprised 22 claims that examined teachers’ perceptions of the changes in the grading system, atmosphere, experienced pressures, and their own education on grading. The results indicate that teachers perceive the changes in grading modes and criteria, believe that today’s students can acquire excellent grades with little effort, and generally feel the pressure of the environment related to grading. Most of the surveyed teachers feel that, in the case of a parent’s complaint about their child’s poor grade, the responsible institutions take the side of the parent. Along the same lines, they believe that teachers who mostly award their students with high grades have fewer problems at work. The results have shown a low level of teachers’ satisfaction with the implemented education on grading. No statistically significant differences between the teachers were found in regard to their workplace or the length of work experience. The majority of the surveyed teachers consider that the introduction of external evaluation would contribute to more objective grading of students’ knowledge and skills